Clip member



Aug. 9 1966 Filed Feb. 13, 1964 G. A. GOODRICH ET A 3,265,420

CLIP MEMBER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS GORDON A. GOODRICH CHARLES E. GRUBB EDWARD S. BAXTER JAMES A. SNELLER' BZZW/QQ/M ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1966 Filed Feb. 15, 1964,

G. A. GOODRICH ET CLIP MEMBER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.

INVENTORS GORDON- A. GOODRICH CHARLES E. GRUBB EDWARD S. BAXTER JAMES A. SNELLER WMM ATTOR NEY United States Patent 3,265,420 CLIP MEMBER Gordon A. Goodrich, Portuguese Bend, Charles E. Grubb, Palos Verdes Estates, Edward S. Baxter, Torrance, and James A. Sneller, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., assignors to Amrol, Inc., Long Beach, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Filed Feb. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 344,769 1 Claim. (Cl. 287189.36)

This invention relates to a clip member and more particularly to such a device suitable for fastening together angle bar members.

Angle bar members such as those of the L, T, and H type are used extensively in forming lattice frameworks 'for supporting ceiling panels. With some of such support structures of the prior art, the bars are joined together on the floor by means of rivets or bolts, and then the entire assembly is lifted into place and properly suspended. Other of these prior art structures are formed 'by joining appropriately cut L or T bars together in their final position by means of tabs which fit between slots on adjoining bars and are twisted so as to provide joints between the bars.

In forming a framework with the devices of the prior art, it is necessary that each of the various bar sections be cut precisely to the proper length for the particular installation involved. The ends of the bar sections also must be squared off. If the ends of the bar sections are not properly squared off and the length of the bars are not cut precisely, considerable difficulty is experienced in getting all of the sections of the framework to fit toget-her properly, and problems are further encountered in getting the exposed bottom portions of the bars at the joints therebetween to present a neat appearance. Therefore, in making a la-tticed framework to fit in a particular area, with the techniques of the prior art, it takes a considerable amount of time, even for skilled craftsmen, to achieve an end result having the proper structural and aesthetic qualities. Further, even with skilled workers, there is a certain amount of wastage of materials due to inadvertent errors in cutting the bar sections. For the novice, the proper assembly of such a support structure poses a diificult or impossible task.

The device of this invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art in providing simple clip members by means of which angle bar members can be joined together to form a proper lattice framework by persons relatively inexperienced in assembling such structures. Such assembly can be performed by skilled personnel in considerably less time than with prior art techniques and devices without any sacrifice of the desired structural and aesthetic characteristics. The device of this invention obviates the necessity for exactly squaring the bar members and allows a reasonable latitude in the cutting-of the lengths of such bar members, thus minimizing wastage and the skill and time required to accomplish the installation. With the device of the invention, the ad joining ends, which are exposed to view with the devices of the prior art, are completely covered up so as to provide an aesthetically desirable end result without the necessity for mitering or closely cutting the bar members. In addition the device of the invention allows latitude for adjustment of the bar sections after they are in place, thereby greatly facilitating the installation.

These improved end results are achieved in the device of the invention by means of unique clip members. These clip members have a fiat plate portion with at least two oppositely positioned tab portions which extend inwardly towards each other from opposite sides of the plate portion. One fiat bar portion of the bar member is held between the tab portions and the plate portion with the members.

bar portion generally orthogonal thereto extending between a longitudinal slot formed between the ends of the tab portions. The tab portions further have flat finger portions extending therefrom which are utilized to hold transversely'running bar members in place against the plate portion. The joints between the bar members which are exposed to view with devices of the prior art are completely covered by the fiat plate portions of the clip members.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide improved clip members for joining together angle bar It is another object of this invention to facilitate the assembly of support structures for ceiling panels.

It is still another object of this invention to enable the assembly of latticed ceiling panel structures by persons .having a minimum amount of skill.

It is still a further object of this invention to decreasethe time required to assemble support structures for ceiling panels. I

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a ceiling panel support framework of neater construction than prior art structures.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a ceiling panel support structure capable of being adjusted to accommodate imperfections in the fabrication of the bar members thereof. 3

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing of which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the device of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the device of the invention, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the clip members of FIGS. 1 and 2 as utilized to hold a typical support framework together.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the clip member which is preferably fabricated of a resilient material such as, for example, stainless steel comprises a flat plate portion .11, a pair of oppositely positioned tab portions 12 and 13 extending inwardly from the edges of plate portion 11, and a pair of flat finger portions 14 and 15 extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said plate portion from the ends of tab portions 12 and 13 respectively. A longitudinal slot 10 is formed between the inwardly extending ends of tab portions 12 and 1-3. As to be explained in connection with FIG. 3, the clip member of FIG. 1 is suitable for use as a corner connector between two bar members or for connecting the end of one bar member to the side of another.

Refer-ring now to FIG. 2; a second embodiment of the device of the invention is shown. In this embodiment, similar tabs and fingers as those of FIG. 1 are utilized with two pairs of such tabs and fingers being combined with a single fiat plate portion.- Thus, in the device of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2, flat plate portion 16 has a first pair of oppositely positioned tab portions 17 and 18 extending inwardly towards each other and a second pair of similar tab portions 19 and 20 similarly positioned opposite each other. Flat finger portions 21 and 24 extend from the first pair of tab portions 18 and 17 respectively in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plate portion, while finger portions 22 and 23 extend from tab portions 19 and 20 respectively towards finger portions 20 and 21 in a second direction opposite to this first direction. A longitudinal slot 25 is formed between the tab and finger portions, while a transverse slot 26 substantially normal to the longitudinal slot is formed between the oppositely positioned ends of the finger portions. Longitudinal ridges 29 are formed near the inwardly extending ends of the tab and finger portions to provide positive holding action on the bar members and to facilitate assembly of the bars.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the clip members of the device of the invention are shown as utilized in supporting a frame structure. In FIG. 3, clip members 32a 'and 32b are of the embodiment of the device of the invention shown'in FIG. 2 while clip members 30a and 3012 are of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

T bar 37 has a first bar portion 37a lying in a first plane and a second bar portion 37b lying in a second plate substantially orthogonal to this first plane. Bar portion 37b is held between the finger and plate portions of clip members 32a and 32b and between the tab and plate portions of clip member 30b. The vertically oriented bar portion 37a extends between the longitudinal slot formed in clip member 30b and the transverse slots formed between the finger portions of clip members 32a and 32b. The bar members are supported from overhead by means of wires 40 by techniques well known in the art.

Clip member 32a is shown joining together bar members 37, 38, and 39 with the vertical bar sections of bar members 38 and 39 extending through the longitudinal slot ofclip member 32a and the vertical bar portion 371: of bar member 37 extending through the transverse slot formed in clip member 3211. Clip member 30a is shown making a corner joint. Clip member 32b is shown joining together four bar members.

As can be seen, the bar members can be moved relative to each other in the clip members a reasonable amount without disrupting the joint therebetween. The sapces between the bar members occasioned by such movement is completely hidden from view from below by the flat plate portion of the clip members so that if the ends of 'the bar members are not accurately squared 01f or if there is a gap therebetween, this will not show. The frame structure isutilized to support ceiling panels 45 which may be of acoustic tile, translucent material, or other ceiling material as the situation may demand. Q .The device, of this invention thus provides a simple yet highly effective means for facilitating the installation of framework structure for supporting ceiling material. The time and skill required for an installation utilizing the device of the invention is considerably less than with techniques and devices of the prior art. In addition, an end result which is neat in appearance is achieved with a minimum amount of effort and ski-ll in the construction.

While the device of this invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that .thisis intended by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of this invention being limited only by the terms of the following claim.

We claim:

In combination, a substantially flat clip member and a plurality of angle bar members, said bar members having substantially flat bar portions lying in substantially orthogonal planes, said clip member being substantially rectangular and comprising a flat plate portion,

two pairs of oppositely positoned tab portions, the tab portions of each of said pairs extending inwardly towards each other from said plate portion, said tab portions all lying in a plane parallel to said flat plate portion in close proximity thereto, a relatively narrow linear longitudinal slot being formed between the inwardly extending ends of said tab portions, said slot being slightly wider than the thickness of said bar portions,

a first pair of oppositely positioned fiat finger portions extending from said first pair of tab portion in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said plate portion, and

a second pair of oppositely positioned flat finger portions extending from said second pair of tab portions in a second direction opposite to said first direction,

said tab portions and said finger portions having longitudinal ridges formed therein to provide positive holding of said bar portions,

said finger portions being positioned opposite said .plate portion in close proximity and in a plane parallel thereto,

a relatively narrow linear transverse slot normal to said longitudinal slot being formed between the ends of said finger portions, said slot being slightly wider than the thickness of said bar portions,

one ofthe bar portions of at least one of said bar members being held slidably between said finger and plate portions by the holding action of said ridges, the other of the bar portions of said one of said bar members extending within said transverse slot, one of the bar portions of another one of said bar members being held slidably between one of said pairs of tab portions and said plate portion by the holding action of said ridges, one of the bar portions of still (another one of said bar members being held slidably between the other of said pair of tab portions and said plate portion by the holding action of said ridges, the other-of the bar portions of said other andsaid still another of said barmembers extending within said longitudinal slot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS I 2,971,617 2/1961 Smith et al. 18985 2,981,386 4/1961 Reske et a1. 189-85 3,037,594 6/1962 Kaufman 189-85 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,286,613 l/ 1962 France. 1,333,202 6/1963 France.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner.

, Assistant Examiners. 

